Tag Archives: best Canadiens players

H2H 150: Dave Keon vs. Henri Richard – Who was Better?

During the 1960s, as the NHL moved from the Original Six era into expansion, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs won nine out of the possible 10 Stanley Cups for the decade (five for Montreal, four for Toronto).  While each team was loaded with future Hall of Fame players, two of the brightest stars were centers Dave Keon of the Maple Leafs and Henri Richard of the Canadiens – despite relatively diminutive physical sizes (both stood less than 5’10”), each was a giant on the ice, playing nearly 20 years apiece for their respective franchises and serving as captain for a number of those years.  Even more than half a century later, these two stars from a bygone era remain legends of the game – in comparing the duo, the question arises:

Who was better – Dave Keon or Henri Richard?

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H2H 133: Chris Chelios vs. Larry Robinson – Who was Better?

To play for two decades or more in the NHL is an incredible accomplishment; to do so at an extremely high level is the stuff of legends.  Throughout the league’s history, two legendary defensemen who exemplify this rare combination of longevity and excellence are Chris Chelios and Larry Robinson – the former was a hard-nosed defender who set both regular season and playoff records for games played, while the latter was blessed with prototypical size and has the highest career +/- rating ever as part of the defensive anchor of the legendary Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s.  Both eventually skated their way into the Hockey Hall of Fame and are among the greatest blueliners in league history, thus evoking the comparison:

Who was better – Chris Chelios or Larry Robinson?

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H2H 79: Jean Beliveau vs. Stan Mikita – Who was Better?

During the Original Six era and well before the advent of free agency, NHL stars played their entire careers with one team and were thus able to carve out indelible legacies.  Two legendary players who fit this bill were Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens and Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks – each played for two decades plus and racked up well over 1,000 career points with numerous individual and team accolades.  As relative contemporaries who faced off on countless occasions during the 1960s and are among their respective teams’ all-time greatest players, thus the question:

Who was better – Jean Beliveau or Stan Mikita?

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H2H 53: Marcel Dionne vs. Guy Lafleur – Who was Better?

When two players are drafted first and second overall in a given year, their careers are inexorably linked and will be forever compared and contrasted to each other (think Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in the 2004 NHL Draft, or in a different sport, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf in the 1998 NFL Draft).  Such was the case in 1971, when two Quebec junior hockey superstars, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, were selected with the first two picks in that year’s NHL draft – both picks worked out, as each player went on to have a legendary Hall of Fame career, thus inevitably bringing up the question:

Who was better – Marcel Dionne or Guy Lafleur?

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